CHAPTER 4 • SECTION 1
Changes in Puritan Society
KEY QUESTION What factors helped weaken Puritan religious control?
New England society was changing rapidly by the late 1600s. One of the
most noticeable changes was the decline of Puritan power.
Teach
Economic Success and Religious Diversity The Puritan values of hard
work made many New Englanders rich. But some colonists now seemed
to care more about business and material possessions than about religion.
Puritan ministers noticed the change and used their sermons to condemn
the new interest in worldly success.
Changes in Puritan Society
Think, Pair, Share
• What did Increase Mather mean when he said
that the Puritans chose “a new God”? (Puritans
were beginning to value money and wealth
more than God; money had become more
important than religion.)
History
through
PRIMARY SOURCE
Art
“
We have changed our Interest.
The Interest of New England was
religion, which did distinguish us
from other English [colonies]. . . .
Now we begin to espouse a Worldly
Interest and so choose a new God.
• How did other religions affect Puritan power?
(Baptists and Anglicans established churches,
so Puritans were no longer the most powerful
group; changes to the charter of Massachusetts
granted religious freedom to all.)
• Analyze Causes and Effects What lasting
effects did Puritanism have on American
culture even after the decline of Puritan power?
(Puritan influence can be seen in the Puritan
work ethic, the value placed on education,
support for representative government, and
the practice of voting on community issues.)
History through Art
A Changing Puritan World
Ask students what they think Increase
Mather might say about these portraits.
(Possible Answer: Their elaborate clothes
are an example of the worldly interests that
turned people away from God.)
”
—Increase Mather, from the sermon
“The Day of Trouble is Near,” 1674
Portraits of Elizabeth, Mary, and John Freake by an unidentified
artist, from the collection of the Worcester Art Museum.
A Changing Puritan World
These portraits, painted a few years before King Philip’s War, are
windows onto a changing Puritan world. Elizabeth, (shown with
her daughter Mary) and John Freake were in their 30s when these
portraits were painted in the 1670s. Elizabeth was one of the
children of the first generation of Puritans, who arrived during
the Great Migration. Elizabeth and John enjoyed the fruits of the
prosperous society that their parents had created. Their clothes are
richly decorated and expensive. For example, John’s elaborate lace
collar, gloves, and ruffled sleeves display his wealth.
CRITICAL VIEWING How do Elizabeth’s clothes and surroundings
reveal the wealth of Puritan society in the late 1600s?
CRITICAL VIEWING ANSWER
The lace on her clothes is expensive.
The tapestry on the chair also suggests
wealth.
The arrival of non-Puritan immigrants also threatened Puritan
control. The success of the colony
began attracting different kinds of
immigrants. Baptists and Anglicans
established churches in Massachusetts
and Connecticut, where Puritans had
once been the most powerful group.
Political changes further weakened
Puritan domination. In 1691, a new
royal charter for Massachusetts guaranteed religious freedom for all Protestants, not just Puritans. The charter
broke Puritan power by ending the
churches’ control of elections. The
loss of power created great uncertainty for many Puritans, which may
have contributed to one of the strangest episodes in American history—the
Salem witchcraft trials.
The Salem Witchcraft Trials In
1692, a year after the new charter
broke Puritan power, a terrifying
series of events occurred in Salem
Village, Massachusetts. Several girls,
100 Chapter 4
More About . . .
DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION: TIERED ACTIVITIES
The Salem Witchcraft Trials
The Salem witch trials were not the only
witch hunts in colonial history, but they are
the most notorious. Because of the public’s
continued interest and fascination with the
subject, the city of Salem, Massachusetts,
has built a tourist industry around the
incident, billing itself as “the witch city.”
Arthur Miller used the colonial witch trials
as the backdrop for his play The Crucible,
which commented on the Army-McCarthy
hearings of the 1950s.
OBJECTIVE Create a written description of changes in Puritan society in the late 1600s.
Basic
On Level
Challenge
Have students write a
paragraph identifying
changes in Puritan society in
the late 1600s. Have them
focus on these questions:
Have students write a journal
entry from the point of view
of a Puritan. The journal
entry should describe the
social changes that are
occurring, the changes in
control of the colony, and
the person’s perspective on
these changes.
Have students write a
paragraph analyzing Increase
Mather’s quotation on
p. 100. They should also
comment on other factors
affecting Puritan society in
the late 1600s and predict
how these changes might
affect the colony.
• What seemed to interest
Puritans more than God?
• What signs showed this
new interest?
100 • Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4 • SECTION 1
pretending to be bewitched, began accusing others of
witchcraft.
Hysteria spread through the community. Those accused
were forced to name others as witches. More than 100
people were arrested and dozens were tried. Of those, 19
were found guilty and put to death by hanging, including
a popular minister. In addition, two dogs were hanged,
and a man was pressed to death when he refused to cooperate with the court.
Eventually, important ministers intervened, and the
governor stopped the executions. Within a few years,
several of the accusers admitted that they had made false
accusations. In 1697 one of the judges begged public
forgiveness for his part in the trials.
CONNECT
What factors allowed each colonial
region to grow and prosper?
Ask students what they have learned so far
that can help them answer this question.
Students might mention:
• New England developed shipbuilding,
fishing, and shipping and grew rich
through international trade.
Puritan Legacy Although Puritan power declined,
Puritan values survived. These values have influenced
American culture. Americans have inherited:
• the Puritan work ethic
• a high regard for education
• opposition to royal power and support for representative government
• the practice of voting on decisions affecting the community
Many of these Puritan values helped put America on the road
to independence.
CAUSES AND EFFECTS Describe how Puritan religious control was weakened in
the later 1600s. Answer: Commerce became more important than
religion. Religious diversity increased.
• Colonists overcame threats from Native
Americans through King Philip’s War.
An elderly women being
arrested for witchcraft
in Salem
Why do you think the
girls accused so many
people of witchcraft?
• The Puritan work ethic continued even
after Puritan power declined.
Answer: Perhaps they
wanted to divert
attention away from
themselves.
4
Section Assessment
For test practice, go to
Interactive Review @ ClassZone.com
TERMS & NAMES
1. Explain the importance of
• Backcountry
• Navigation Acts
• triangular trade
• King Philip’s War
USING YOUR READING NOTES
2. Causes and Effects Complete the diagram you
started at the beginning of this section to show the
causes and effects of the Navigation Acts.
Cause
England wanted
to profit from
colonial trade.
Cause
Effect
Navigation
Acts
Effect
Unit 2 Resource Book
• Section Quiz, p. 121
KEY IDEAS
3. How did England profit from colonial shipping?
4. What changes did prosperity bring to New England?
Interactive Review
@ ClassZone.com
CRITICAL THINKING
5. Make Inferences How do you think the enslaved
were able to save money if they were not paid for
their labor?
6. Connect Economics & History Why did New
England come to depend on fishing and shipbuilding?
7.
Assess & Reteach
Assess Have students complete the Section
Assessment.
ONLINE QUIZ
1
to the Essential Question
Power Presentations
Test Generator
Reteach Group students into four teams.
Assign one part of the section to each team.
Have each group create a poster that tells
what factors allowed the colonies to grow and
prosper. Have groups display their posters, then
have each student write a summary of factors
that allowed New England to grow.
Connect to Today New Englanders took
economic advantage of their environment. Describe
modern examples of people using natural resources to
gain wealth.
8. Writing Letter Write a letter from Metacom to
the English colonists. Explain the reasons for the war
that is about to be launched against them.
Unit 2 Resource Book
• Reteaching Activity, p. 125
The Colonies Develop 101
SECTION 1 ASSESSMENT ANSWERS
Terms & Names
1. Backcountry, p. 95; triangular trade, p. 98;
Navigation Acts, p. 97; King Philip’s War,
p. 99
Using Your Reading Notes
2. Cause—Coastal towns grew rich; Effects—
Colonists resented the Acts; merchants ignored
the Acts; smuggling and piracy grew.
Key Ideas
3. England passed the Navigation Acts to ensure
it made money from colonial trade—for
example, by taxing any colonial goods not
shipped to England.
4. Colonists became more concerned with worldly
goods than with religion.
Critical Thinking
5. They might have sold items for money, which
they then saved.
6. New England had many ports near good
fishing grounds and forests that provided
materials for shipbuilding.
7. Possible Answer: Saudi Arabia and other
countries gain wealth from oil.
8. Letters should be written from Metacom’s
point of view and should explain the conflict
over land between Native Americans and the
colonists. Use the rubric to score students’
letters.
Letter Rubric
Content
Mechanics
4
excellent; addresses all
important points
no errors
3
good; addresses some
important points
few/minor
errors
2
fair; addresses few important
points
several
errors
1
poor; addresses no important
points
many errors
Teacher’s Edition • 101